All is Fair in Love and War book 2
by PrimeEmily135
Summary: One year has passed since Ludwig's near assassination, and things have only escalated since. Raven hasn't been seen or heard from in months. And rumors are going around the Darklands that a new force is rising up against Bowser. But on the bright side, Peach and Bowser are becoming better friends. BxP LudwigxOC


**Heeeey everybodyyyy! :) **

**Thank you to everybody who stuck with this series! Updates will continue to be very slow due to unplotted chapters and a lot of other stuff keeping me busy, but I will not forget this story! That is a promise :)**

**Now! Without further ado, may I present "All is Fair in Love and War" book 2! :)**

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_"Count Bleck will not stop until the king of the Darklands is on his knees." The Count said, looking around at his circle of minions with a disappointed glare. "It seems he has chosen poorly on whom to send first to accomplish his work…" The king of the mountain lands bowed his head in shame and the Count moved on down the line to a few other faces. "Perhaps Bleck should send someone closer to this nemesis to tear him apart from the inside out?"_

_He looked at the large Dragon Koopa across from him with a gleam in his eyes. "This time, he shall send one familiar with the present King. Brawn, you are Bleck's chosen one."_

_Bleck stood up, his cape falling down around his feet as he walked around the circle of chairs. He savored the confused faces of his underlings in his operation. They all seemed surprised that he would pick the Koopa, but it slowly made sense. Brawn was Bowser's older brother. He continued going around until he saw a hand shoot up into the air. The boy had dark hair and bright blue\green eyes. "Yes?"_

_The boy stood up, looking him in the eyes as he spoke, an action not many of his subjects could muster. "I would like to help sir."_

_He looked down at him, a small smile of amusement playing across his dark face. "Bleck would send you, but if your master's last attempt was such a failure Bleck has little faith in your abilities." He pushed the boy back down by his shoulders. "That Raven girl was a little disappointing Bleck must say…" the boy looked a little alerted by this, but remained sitting._

_"At the next possible opportunity, we will strike again. This time, no one will stand against Bleck's wrath! Bleh-heh-heh-heck!"_

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**One Year Later…**

The wind whipped strands of her raven black hair into the air as she ran. Her footsteps echoed loudly against the concrete in her hasty pursuit, and her breath came in silent gasps. Her body was hurting, blood pouring down the side of her face, but she couldn't stop. She had to keep up the chase. She couldn't let her victim get away. She had only failed once to kill her target, and that wasn't going to happen ever again.

With a grunt, Raven pulled herself over the stair railing and plummeted down to the floor three stories below her. Her sweat soaked hair flipped up into her face as she fell, but she paid it no mind. She hit the ground hard and felt her ankle twist, but she didn't stop. Just down the hall she could hear the desperate footsteps of someone running away. She was getting closer and closer by the second.

Panting in her haste, she remained hot in pursuit. Her fingers itched to grab at the blade concealed in her left boot, but knew that if she slowed even the slightest she wouldn't be able to catch Pantho. The Koopa was fast for how slow he looked, but she didn't have time to think about it. All she had time to do was catch up.

She could see the koopa's blue shelled back now, and a smile cracked across her face. They were in the perfect position. Right close by was a window she could climb out to avoid the guards that were chasing her. She could hear the alarm bell ringing, but it was drowned out by the blood pounding in her ears. _So_ _close_…

Finally, when she began to doubt that she could catch him, the koopa tripped. He stumbled, trying to get up and run again, but it was already too late. She was upon him now. His fate was sealed.

Raven pounced on the koopa, pinning him to the ground with her knee. Her sweat dripped from her face and onto his, and his cringed in disgust. But she smiled in victory, pulling the knife from her combat boot. "Did you really think-…-you could get away?" she panted, holding the knife to his throat shakily. She was exhausted, drained of all energy, and it was beginning to show. "Tell me-…-what I want to know!"

The koopa looked up at her, a maniacal grin spreading across his face. Raven was a little taken aback when he laughed at her. "Foolish girl! I will never talk! I have more fear of the Count then I do of death! And besides-" Raven gasped as she felt a blade pierce into her side. "-I am not completely defenseless." Raven cried out in pain as the blade twisted in her side and the koopa continued to laugh.

With an agonized cry, she brought her knife down on his wrist and severed his hand from his body. The knife remained in her side but she didn't pull it out. Instead, she quickly cut through the man's throat before he could scream. Blood spluttered as he coughed, desperately covering his neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding. But he soon stilled, his eyes losing their life.

Raven stood up painfully, hearing a slick noise as she pulled the knife from her body. She probably should have left it in, but she couldn't function with it protruding from her side. She shoved it into her boot along with hers and started to run. She could feel the blood soaking her shirt and grimaced in pain. With a last look down the hall she saw that the guards had spotted her. She didn't have enough time to get away.

Making a desperate attempt to dash for the window she jumped out into the night air. She could feel a sword slicing across her back, but it was just a scratch and it was the least of her worries. She was fifteen stories away from the ground and falling fast.

She flailed her arms uselessly with a frustrated scream as she plummeted towards the earth. In the split seconds she had to think her mind raced, but not in the direction she thought it would. _Nico_…

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_"__Buck it up buttercup. It could have been worse." Nico smiled at her encouragingly, helping her up to her feet again. "You'll make it next time." _

_She brushed herself off with a noise of frustration. "Next time's not good enough! I have to be able to do it _now_ not later…" she had just gone through a training exercise and fell, _again_, down the side of the building. Luckily he had been there to catch her. "I have to pass this test Nico, my father will be livid if I fail it again."_

_Nico turned a little grim at the mention of her father, and he sighed heavily. "You just need to practice. You're almost there, I can see it. You just need to pick yourself up and try again. I made it, and you will too." He gave her a small smile and pointed up the climbing building. "Now get up there. Beat me to the top. 'Cuz I'm not leaving this academy without my little partner."_

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Her eyes snapped open. Death was just yards away… and she had thought about Nico? Of all things she could possibly reminisce about her life, she thought about him?

The ground was nearly upon her. Closing her eyes tightly, she braced herself for the sudden impact. She hoped it would be painless and quick. She didn't want to die a long agonizing death. When she was younger she hadn't been afraid of dying, but now? Now she wished with all her soul to be given the chance to live.

It was like a cold sweep of air. She could feel darkness all around her. And when she opened her eyes again she wasn't falling anymore. She had somehow been pulled into a vacant room, icy and foreboding. A laugh like nothing she had ever heard before echoed around her, in her head. "You can't die just _yet_ my dear, says Count Bleck. Bleh-heh-heh-heck!" And with that, all light of the world faded.

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